1. stray, stroll, prowl. Roam,ramble,range,rove imply wandering about over (usually) a considerable amount of territory. Roam implies a wandering or traveling over a large area, especially as prompted by restlessness or curiosity: to roam through a forest.Ramble implies pleasant, carefree moving about, walking with no specific purpose and for a limited distance: to ramble through fields near home.Range usually implies wandering over a more or less defined but extensive area in search of something: Cattle range over the plains.Rove sometimes implies wandering with specific incentive or aim, as an animal for prey: Bandits rove through these mountains.

c.1300, romen, possibly from Old English *ramian "act of wandering about," which is probably related to aræman "arise, lift up." There are no certain cognate forms in other Germanic languages, but Barnhart points to Old Norse reimuðr "act of wandering about," reimast "to haunt." "Except in late puns, there is no evidence of connexion with the Romance words denoting pilgrims or pilgrimages to Rome ...." [OED], such as Spanish romero "a pilot-fish; a pilgrim;" Old French romier "travelling as a pilgrim; a pilgrim," from Medieval Latin romerius "a pilgrim" (originally to Rome). Related: Roamed; roamer; roaming.